5 minute art projects for when you’re short on time

By Nicole Tinkham

We hear it all the time. You want to get more art time into your daily life but your schedule is so packed that you simply can’t make it happen. It’s unfortunate because this is how you grow as an artist. To get better at anything, you must practice consistently. If you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel at the moment, let us introduce our favorite 5 minute art projects for when you’re short on time.

1.    Zentangle
Zentangle is basically organized doodling. It allows you to clear your mind and completely relax. When you only have 5 minutes, work on a smaller scale. You can use 3”x3” cards and do quick little zentangle designs. It’s super easy to get lost in a zentangle project so you may want to set a timer if you have other things on your agenda.

Learn more about zentangle and how to get started here.

2.    Stamping
Next time you’re in the art supply store, grab a few stamps that jump out to you and ink pads in your favorite colors. When you have a few extra minutes, play around with them. We love making our own greeting cards. It doesn’t take up much of your time and there’s so much to experiment with (like embossing powder). Let your imagination run wild!

3.    Sketching
We encourage ALL ARTISTS to carry around a small sketchbook with them wherever they go. You never know when you’ll gain pockets of time throughout the day when you could be practicing your art. If you’re at work, take a 5 minute break to sketch and clear your mind. Sketch on your morning commute (as long as you’re not the one driving) or 5 minutes before you leave the house in the morning. Once you start actively looking for these segments of time, you’ll realize there are more opportunities than you thought.

4.    Writing
Writing can sometimes seem unrelated to the art we’re normally familiar with but what’s more creative than telling a story? Remember that there are many ways to use your creative mind that don’t involve drawing or painting. If you don’t have a sketchbook (or even if you do), carry around a journal to jot down inspiring thoughts for the day, a story, or some poetry.

5.    Coloring
Have you heard about adult coloring books yet?? They seem to THE hobby to get into these days. We love them because it requires some creativity but you don’t have to put yourself entirely out there if you don’t feel comfortable with your artwork yet. There’s no pressure to finish the page you’re coloring right away if you don’t have time and it’s a great way to escape for a little while.

We only put our artwork on the back burner because we THINK we don’t have time for it. If you’re serious about working on your art every single day, here’s what we want you to do. Write down every single thing you do in a day and how long it takes you to do it. This will open your eyes to where you have some extra time and what you should stop doing or cut back on doing so you can focus on what really matters, your ART!

Tell us, how do you get just a little more art in your daily routine? Let us know in the comments below.

36 Art Journal Tips For When You Run Out of Ideas

By Nicole Tinkham

Image from Flickr Creative Commons by alicia bramlett.

Keeping a journal of your life can have many positive benefits. If you did so as a child, you know that reading it years later would bring up thoughts and emotions and memories of your childhood. In the same way that journals remind us of our past, they can also be great tools of encouragement and motivation for the future. The same goes for art journals. Whether you’re starting your very first art journal or just need a few new ideas, we’ve got you covered with these 36 tips.

1. Get inspired through books, magazines, Pinterest, Instagram, art blogs, art museums, etc.

• Top 12 Pinterest Boards for the Artist
• 15 Instagram Pages Every Artist Should Follow

2. Gather materials: You want to have a variety of fun supplies such as stamps, ink pads, paper (in a variety of colors and textures), an assortment of pens, ribbon, paint, stencils, and more on hand. Also start collecting scraps like ticket stubs and hand written notes.

3. You’ll need to make space to work but a full art studio is not necessary.

4. Focus on the process, not the end result. Don’t try to copy other art journal pages. Your journal should be 100% YOU!

5. Experiment with color by switching up your palette. Choose colors that you wouldn’t normally work with.

6. If you’re not sure where to begin, change it up and start with a border.

7. Experiment with water-soluble pencils. These are so fun to play with!

8. Challenge yourself. There are many art journal challenges made to help when you’ve run out of ideas.

9. Journal everyday! You don’t have to spend hours on your journal everyday, although we bet you’d like to. It’s important to have some “you” time and focus on something you enjoy, even if it’s only for 5 minutes.

10. Try something new and journal on canvas. You will find that you end up with a totally different look!

11. Use your foot as a stamp because why not?

12. Ask yourself “what if” and create something you would never have thought of.

13. Create a travel journal. Bring what supplies you can on vacation with you. Being in a different place is the perfect opportunity to get creative.

14. Don’t forget the cover! You may be so concentrated on the inside of your journal that you completely forget about the most important part, the cover. Tip: Make sure the cover expresses what’s inside.

15. Learn new techniques. There are so many techniques that can be incorporated into your art journal. You can learn new tricks through art blogs, Youtube videos, and even art groups in the community.

16. Have projects ready to go. You can work on other projects that can later be used in your art journal. Use sketches, paintings, handmade cards, even poetry in your journal.

17. Journal to organize all those creative ideas bouncing around in your head.

18. Be patient. One art journal page can have many details and may take awhile to complete.

19. Practice Zentangle, the art of organized doodles.

20. Work on your writing. Art journals are often a combination of image and words so unleash your writing skills!

21. Learn the art of lettering. Since you’ll most likely have some type of words in your journal, it doesn’t hurt to brush up on your calligraphy skills.

22. Art journals tend to be random but think about the composition of your layout and where you want the focus to be.

23. Prep work: Prep every page with masking tape and a coat of gesso. This will prevent paint from leaking into the binding of the book.

24. When you’re all out of ideas, work on interesting backgrounds.

25. While painting in your art journal is a great idea, don’t over saturate the pages. The wetter the page gets, the more it will curl.

26. Experiment with different paper. If you tend to use a lot of watercolors, consider using watercolor paper in your journal to avoid the issue in #25.

27. Think of your art journal as your diary and make it personal.

28. There is no wrong way to art journal. There are many techniques for art journaling but don’t count on yours looking like everyone else’s. You don’t want to anyway!

29. Failure is not an option. If a page doesn’t turn out how you expected, you can always keep it to learn from or gesso over it and start again.

30. Art journaling is a way to experiment and get messy. It’s not supposed to be perfect.

31. Never give up. We feel that everyone has a touch of creativity in them. It’s just a matter of getting it to come out. Don’t become frustrated, just keep trying and you will eventually find your niche.

32. Schedule time if you need to. We live in a busy world and sometimes we actually need to schedule time for ourselves.

33. Get involved by taking art workshops (there’s always something new to learn that can be used for your art journal) or join art groups in the community.

View The Artist’s Corner for upcoming workshops at Keeton’s.

34. Get advice from friends and artists to learn and share new techniques and tips.

35. Choose the right journal for you. There are many different sizes and types of journals out there. You can even make your own! Check out your options before making any commitments.

36. Most importantly, HAVE FUN!

Have an art journal tip to add to the list? Comment below and we’ll add it on! Also, connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter for new product info, great resources, inspiration, and more.